The Life and Times of the Brotherhood
by Moonheart13
Summary: Let's take a step back from the problems the X-Men have and focus on another group of mutants...the Brotherhood of Mutants.
1. Talking

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution nor any of Marvel's character.**

**Warning: Very slight angst here, but nothing bad, trust me.**

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><p><strong>Talking<strong>

"Have you ever heard the old saying 'You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family'? Well, that's different for me.

My friends _are_ my family.

I know, I know, it sounds super corny. Go ahead, let all your giggles out now.

…but it's true. Even if none of us like to admit it all that much, we all know it.

I didn't choose them and they didn't choose me. We were all shoved together and forced to work as one. We never asked for this kind of life…it just kinda…happened.

That being said, we're like any other family, I guess. We're dysfunctional, but we care about each other. We don't look for each other's approval, nor do we put each other down or anything. Oh, sure, we rip on each other all the time, but never to an extreme.

My group has been compared to the X-Men by, you guessed it, the _X-Men_. Ugh, as if it's not hard enough talking about this stuff, _they_ are comparing themselves to _us_?!

Losers.

We're not like them. We're all mutants, of course, but we don't view the world the same way. They seek justice and acceptance, while we seek…

Hmm. Come to think of it, I don't really know what we seek.

Maybe just finding out who we're supposed to be? I guess that would make more sense…still, I know who I am…I'm just kind of a douchebag at times.

My team knows it and they constantly call me out on it. I don't deny it or anything, but…I've been trying…not to do that anymore.

…one of my friends is actually my sister. Like, actual, biological, twin sister.

We've had some rough times together. Especially concerning our father. Things aren't the best now between us and…that really needs to change.

I never wanted her to hate me…I mean…I don't know…she's my sister! Twins are supposed to have a special connection or something, right? When we were kids, I felt like we had it, but I was too little to realize how important it was…

Now…it's like I don't know her anymore…I miss her, I guess. She used to be my best friend before she was sent away…

I'm trying to be better. For her, for my bros…for myself, actually. Not my father, though. I hurt them when I took his side a while ago and…that was wrong. I see that now.

…I guess…I need to appreciate that even though my father hasn't said much to us since Apocalypse, my team is still behind me. I'm still the leader…

I never had a real family after my sister was sent away. My father ended up dumping me into a foster family because he was 'too busy' being a big, bad figurehead. Not saying the people he put me with were bad people or anything. The lady made decent food and the guy helped me with my reading since I was kind of slow at it when I was a kid…ironic, huh?

Still…it was never home. I never felt like their child. It was more like…going to camp and listening to the camp counselors. They set the rules, make the food, if you fall and scratch your knee, they'll fix it for you…but there was never love.

God, that sounds so stupid…but I need to say it out loud, right?

…I needed love.

My sister was gone, my father had abandoned us, I didn't have really any friends to speak of…

And now…I have it. It's a weird kind of love, but my gang…we just get each other. There's never a sense that we're better than the other. Better at certain things, maybe, but…we're all the same in some messed-up way.

Lance and I love to banter back and forth over stupid shit, even if it makes no sense. He even taught me, after months of bitching at me, how to change a car's transmission and I actually had _fun_ learning about it. Probably because we were cracking inappropriate jokes the whole time, heh…y'know, Lance may be a little hot tempered at times, but I guess that's a good reason why I'm here; I'm like his conscience. Trying to keep him from blowing a gasket. And even though he'd never say it, even to himself, I can tell he appreciates it. I'm the best at strategy, so I know when to use his anger to our advantage.

Toad's always there for a good laugh and surprisingly, someone really good to rant to. Sometimes, if I'm pissed off, I can just waltz into his room and start going. He'll just sit, nod, comment or ask a question if necessary, and that's it. He never acts like I'm being a bother…he calls it 'being Pietro' and just grins. Makes a guy feel…accepted? Yeah, I guess so. He doesn't seem to mind how I can get so caught up in stuff that…well…I've been told that sometimes I need to slow down and take a moment to think straight. He told me a few weeks ago when I was yelling about it that everybody does things their own way and it's not their fault. That's just who they are…for a little wart, he can be pretty deep every now and then.

Blob and I have always clicked somehow. I don't really know why we're friends, but we just are. We're opposites almost any way you look at it. I'm quick-witted, he's, while actually quite smart, very slow to the punch. Physical differences and such…still, I almost always ask him to go grocery shopping with me or go with me to do something. Maybe I feel like I stick out less with him next to me? Or at least…there's someone else just as weird looking as me talking to me like I'm just as normal as everybody else.

Wanda…like I said before, I don't know where we stand right now. She's my sister and I _do_ love her. It's just hard to show it sometimes without coming off as an asshole. The guys are used to how I act, but she still struggles with my attitude.

Like when we believed our father was dead. I was shocked when I first heard the news, but…I felt nothing. No pain, no grief, no rage…nothing.

When I saw she was struggling, I gave her the tough love treatment.

It didn't work.

I'm really trying here. I know I keep saying that, but it's true! I'm really, really, _really_ trying. Trying to reconnect with her, trying to help her when she has her bad days, trying not to be a douchebag…so much, at least.

…it's just hard. Really hard.

But I'm determined! I've never backed down from a challenge before and I'm not going to now.

And…if my father does resurface and tries to change any of that with any of his stupid plans like last time…well, then he's going to have to take me down first. He'll have to take down _all of us_ first.

I know we don't look it to some people, but we're strong. And…and maybe if we can get our shit together…we can make our own decisions.

No more answering to principals or Mystique or father…just us. Our own rules.

…and I can finally feel like I belong to…something all my own."

Pietro finally gave a soft sigh before glancing up at the woman sitting in the chair across from him. She'd been scribbling stuff on her notepad ever since he'd started venting and finally, she stopped and looked back up at him, her thin, wiry glasses perched on her nose.

"I understand. And how do you feel now? Now that you've said all of this out loud?"

The speedster stared at her blankly, evidently thinking before saying, "…weird, honestly. I've never done this before."

The woman smiled, her wrinkles creasing slightly. "Most people feel that way after their first session. I'm glad you talked so much, though. Most people tend to freeze up and only say a few words. Do you feel this has helped you in any way?"

"…I think so."

"Well, is there anything else you'd like to talk about today?"

"…no, thank you."

"Would you like to schedule another session?"

There was a long, pregnant pause. Pietro still stared hard at the other woman, his icy, blue eyes unmoving. Luckily, she was much older and he could tell she'd seen a lot of shit in her time, so she wasn't in the least bit put off by his creepy expression. She'd probably had weirder clients than him come through her door.

"…yes," he decided finally. "Can we do one on Tuesday? In the afternoon?"

"Let me see…ah! Yes, how does five-thirty sound?"

The white-haired teen nodded. "That sounds good." He glanced up at the clock before giving a soft gasp. "Oh, shit! I had no idea it was so late!" He stood up, ready to zoom out before saying, "Um, thank a lot, ma'am. I'll swing by on Tuesday." Then, he rushed out, causing the therapist's secretary's papers to go flying.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, so this is a new series I'm starting. I've been wanting to do moments like these for the Brotherhood since they are, like, the best thing on X-Men Evo. This is loosely based off of Queen Lydia's 'Momentus' work (which is flippin' awesome. Go check it out if you haven't read it yet), but I'm not going to copy her or anything. I'm not sure how many of these I'm going to do and as much as I really want to include my fan-pairing's I'm not sure if I should. Maybe I'll save those for another story.**

**This 'story' is basically going to just be a bunch of moments with the Brotherhood, either alone or together. I'm calling it 'Snippets' for now, but I may change the title later because I don't know if I like it enough.**

**EDIT: Changed the title because this sounds cooler. That's all.  
><strong>

**Anyways, thought of this at ten o' clock at night when I couldn't sleep. Like, I literally just wrote it up. Basically, it is super annoying to me how these teenagers on X-Men go through absolute hell, but no one ever brings up the fact that...seriously, these kids need therapy.**

**So, (because who doesn't love to mess with Pietro? :D) I put him in therapy, talking about his feelings. Pietro is usually pretty stiff a lot of the time and I really wanted to delve into his mind a little. In case you didn't notice, I love the Brotherhood family perspective. I like how they're not all warm hugs and kisses like the X-Men are a lot of the time. They have that 'we care a lot about each other, but we just don't care to say that much about it'. It makes them more interesting in my opinion.**

**Hopefully you guys enjoyed this and, yes, this is my first attempt an X-Men Evo story, so beware! Read and review is you would like! It would help me out a great deal and tell me what you would like to see next!**


	2. Cold

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution nor any of Marvel's characters.**

**Warning: Strong language and what could be considered parental neglect. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Cold<strong>

That's all he could feel.

Cold, cold, cold.

He pulled his jacket in more before burying his hands in his pockets as he rocked himself back and forth.

"F-fuck…" he hissed quietly to himself.

"You okay, little buddy?"

Todd glanced up at his large friend, "I don't know, m-man…" he replied, shivering hard. "I can't feel my toes that m-much…"

Freddy gave him a sympathetic look. "I know…do ya think Lance will be back soon?"

"I hope," Todd answered. "I'm really hungry…there ain't no bugs in here fer me tah munch on 'cause it's jus' as cold in here as it is out there."

"Right," Freddy breathed in agreement. "Sorry, buddy."

"S-not yer fault, m-man."

Suddenly, there was a powerful rush of wind that, along with the already frozen room, felt horrible against Todd's ice cold skin. "Is he back yet?"

"No, Pietro," Freddy answered as he glanced up at the speedster who, like the rest of them, was bundled up in a coat.

"Great," Pietro snapped sarcastically before pursing his lips in an irritated manner.

"There's p-probably long lines," Todd suggested, his voice muffled by the collar of his coat as he snuggled more into it.

"I think he should just—"

"We aren't supposed to attract a bunch of attention," Freddy stated, earning him a slight glare from Pietro.

"Whatever," Pietro hissed, even though both Freddy and Todd could tell he knew they were right.

Suddenly, the front door opened and shut unceremoniously, causing each of the three mutants to jump and look to the front. Lance stood there, holding a few bags in both hands ad looking pretty worn out.

"Remind me to never go to the food shelter in Bayville ever again," the rock-tumbler stated as he put the bags down on the table. "I'm gonna go to the one in the next city over because this one sucks."

"What took so long?" Pietro asked as he opened one of the bags.

"It's a long story and really, I don't wanna talk about it right now." Lance took a seat next to Freddy on the couch. "Right now, I'd just like a little peace and quiet."

"Well, I'm afraid that's going to have to wait," Pietro said, folding his arms. "I have an announcement to make."

Todd glanced up at Pietro, his eyes wide with fear. "What now?"

"…we won't be able to get the heat back on," the teen said, glancing down at the floor.

"What?!" Lance yelled as he sat up abruptly while Freddy gasped and Todd let out a moan of agony.

"It's true," Pietro stated firmly, still not looking up. "Our finances are next to nothing."

"So, you're sayin'…we're screwed?" Todd concluded.

"Yep."

"Well, that's just great!" Lance shouted as he stood. "Not only do we have to go miles and miles for our food, which are pretty bad anyways, but now we're gonna freeze our butts off?!"

"There's _nothing_ we can do?" Freddy asked desperately.

"Not a thing, Blob," Pietro answered with a defeated sigh. "We have no money, no heat, _nothing_."

The four sat and stood in a long silence before Todd gave a loud sneeze and mumbled out, "Merry fuckin' Christmas…"

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><p>"I can't believe this," Pietro spat as he sat on the couch.<p>

"I don't get why you're so upset," Freddy said. "Can't you just run around to keep warm?"

"First of all, my mutation lets me run quick, but it feels just the same as when a normal person runs. My body keeps me from being affected by the pressure in my body, so my running does just about as much good for me as it does for the rest of you losers. Second, I _do_ get tired, y'know."

"Okay, okay, jeez! Sorry I asked…"

"How come the cold is bothering _you_ so much?" the speedster asked his friend. "Aren't you just a bunch of blubber?"

Ignoring the insult, Freddy answered, "Well, it's not so much the cold, I guess. I…" He looked away in slight embarrassment. "I don't really have the best, uhhh…what's it called…? Oh, yeah! Immune system! I get sick real easy, especially during this time of year."

"If you get sick, we're tossin' you out, Blob," Lance stated as he came in with a medium-sized box.

"Hey!"

"He don' meant it, Freddy," Todd mumbled as he sat up in his chair, his eyes half open. "We ain't gonna throw you out.

"Don't really know how we _could,"_ Pietro said with a snicker, earning him a slight glare from Freddy.

"Guys, check out what I found," Lance said, putting the box down on the table.

"Dead beetles?" Todd asked, perking up.

"Noooo…" Lance said with a slight grimace.

"A space heater?" Pietro tried.

"I wish, but no."

"Microwave dinners?"

"Sorry, Blob. No dice." Lance picked up out of the box multiple hats, gloves, and scarves. "Probably from the last people who lived here. They were buried at the bottom of the closet."

"Oh, good. Maybe we can write out names on the inside of them, so they can identify our bodies when we freeze to death."

Lance glared, his bangs falling in front of his face before he straightened up. "Well, Pietro, I guess you're just too pessimistic to get one, then," he sneered, tossing a scarf to Todd who caught it and wrapped it around his neck eagerly.

Pietro made a noise in his throat before snatching the pair of gloves from Lance's hands and placing them on in a blink of an eye. "Hmm…they seem pretty warm."

"Definitely an upgrade," Todd agreed as he cuddled his hands into the end of the long scarf. "I feel warmer already!" Then, he gave a yawn. "Man, I'm tired."

"Yeah, we should all go to bed," Lance agreed, scratching the back of his head.

Everyone sat in a sudden silence, all glancing anywhere but at each other's faces.

"Look, I'll be honest here," Todd said, his scarf muffling his voice a bit. "I really don' wanna sleep in mah room by myself. The window's broken an'…" His voice trailed off.

More silence followed his statement before Fred said, "I wouldn't mind the company…that stupid wind howls a lot through the cracks in my bedroom and it keeps waking me up."

"My room isn't the best either," Pietro added quickly. "I've got ice all over the windows and icicles are starting to form inside."

They all knew what they were building up to, but no one wanted to say it. Whether any of them cared to fully admit it, they were like brothers; a weird, little family. Not all sunshine and hugs like with the X-Men, but they had a definite closeness between them. As embarrassing as the idea was, each of the Brotherhood boys knew it was for the best.

"I'll grab a blanket for the couch," Lance said as he headed upstairs. "Maybe two."

"Coo'," Todd mumbled in reply.

The three remaining teammates sat in an awkward silence before Lance returned with a few blankets in hands. Pietro and Freddy shifted over a bit on the couch, making room for the other two.

No one said a word as they all adjusted themselves, trying to give each other as much space as they could, but eventually gave up and settled for leaning up against one another.

Lance got himself comfy at the end of the couch, only to have Todd prop up against him. The rock-tumbler really wanted to just shove him off, but instead have a soft sigh and wrapped an arm around him. He felt the toad-like mutant stiffen in his arms, but eventually relaxed.

Next to them, Freddy sprawled himself out a bit, allowing Todd to shift one of his legs over Fred's, just so that it wasn't too cramped. Pietro swung his legs up over the side of the couch and got himself situated against Freddy's other side.

The four teens laid on the couch, all curled up in their coats, blankets, and (all silent gay jokes aside) each other.

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><p><strong>AN: So, this is based off of one of my favorite Brotherhood fanart pictures of all time with all the boys cuddled up because they have no heat. I know a lot of people have done this before, but I really wanted to write it because...it's adorable, sue me!**

**How do you guys think I write Todd's accent? Does it sound okay? I tried not to mess with it too much, but just enough that he sticks out and makes it easier to hear his voice. I'll be doing the same thing with Kurt in any of my Kodd fics (mostly because they're my two fav characters) so get used to that.**

**Again, more familial (heterosexual *giggle*) love. :) I'm not sure when I wanted this to take place since I didn't include Tabitha (I just didn't feel she felt in this story, don't worry I'll try to write something up for her at some point), but it's supposed to be during the Christmas Season, I'm guessing maybe a first Christmas that no one spoke about. Or maybe Tabby actually went somewhere for the holidays and they don't wanna talk about it...? I dunno.**

**Anyways, hope you guys like this chapter and the next one will be a little shorter, but it's gonna be about everyone's favorite little slimeball, Toad! See you then!**


	3. Talent

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution nor any of Marvel's characters.**

**Warnings: Slight angst and bug munching. You have been warned.**

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><p><strong>Talent<strong>

Todd sometimes felt like a piece of worthless shoe leather in the Brotherhood. After all, his other team members were far more powerful than he was. If he left them and/or joined another organization, he probably either wouldn't be missed and/or it wouldn't make a difference in battle.

The Toad sat on the couch, sighing quietly to himself as he scribbled absentmindedly in his sketchpad.

He was technically the first member of the Brotherhood since he was the one Mystique approached originally, but he knew that didn't really mean much in the long run. The Brotherhood wasn't technically established until Lance, Freddy, Pietro, and himself all came together under the boarding house around the same time.

Todd put the pad along with his pencil and eraser before flopping back against the couch.

He wasn't that great around the house either. He hated cleaning, cooking wasn't the easiest task for him, he was terrible at team motivation (more Pietro's forte), and sometimes…it felt like the rest of the group didn't like him all that much.

An exception would probably be Freddy. The big guy and him were the two followers of the group and it helped them bond in a weird sort of way. Still, if the gang ever did decide to vote him out, he sadly suspected Freddy wouldn't stick up for him.

Lance and him sometimes bickered and mocked each other, but it was never overly serious, he guessed. They didn't always see eye to eye on certain values and he knew that put a huge dent in their friendship. He probably would send him packing without a second thought.

Todd could never tell how Pietro felt about him. The speedster was very swifty (no pun intended) at keeping his emotions and true feelings under lock and key. The only time his true self ever came out was around Wanda, so Todd had no clue if Pietro hated his guts, loved him as a friend, or just tolerated his presence.

And Wanda…oh, Wanda, Wanda, Wanda. Todd knew how she felt about him.

The frog-like mutant sighed deeply as he reflected on his thoughts, feeling a little sick. God, he'd never really thought about the Brotherhood like this before. What if they _did_ kick him out? It's not like he was useful for anyth—

"TODD!" a scream came from the kitchen.

Todd perked up at the sound, especially since it was Pietro's voice screaming and using his actual name which was a huge rarity. He hopped off the couch and bounded into the kitchen.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he demanded, ready for anything, but slowly relaxed at the sight of what he saw before struggling not to giggle.

Pietro was standing on a kitchen chair, on his tip toes, and pointing frantically at a rather large cockroach who was investigating a few crumbs of bread on the ground.

"…chu screamed…'cause there's a bug in the kitchen," Todd concluded, trying not to smile.

"Kill-it-kill-it-kill-it-kill-it-kill-it-kill-it!" Pietro shot out like bullets from a gun as he squirmed in his position.

Todd wanted to make fun of Pietro so badly, wanted to point and laugh in his face, wanted to call everyone down just so he could openly mock him…but he didn't. Instead, he smirked and headed over to the cockroach. He peered down at it and before the creature could even think to move, he shot out his tongue, stuck the end of his appendage to its back, and sucked it into his mouth. After a few pleasant crunches, he gulped the remains down and looked at the mostly relieved, slightly disgusted Pietro. "There. Problem solved."

Todd then happily skipped back into the main room, unable to stop smiling.

Well, at least he was good at _something_.

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><p><strong>AN: As promised, our lovely Toad has his own chapter, featuring the best drama queen in all of Bayville, Pietro!**

**Now, I'm leaving this open for interpretation. Either this is the harsh reality of Toad's situation and he could literally be discarded at any time or he's just incredibly paranoid that no one likes him even a little bit even though the Brotherhood would never throw him out on the streets. Whichever one you want...personally, I choose the latter. :)**

**I'm under the headcanon that Todd is the official "bug-killer" in the house. Besides Pietro, the others probably aren't all that scared of bugs, but instead of having to spray them or get a tissue and catch them, they can just call Toad. Not only do they get rid of the bug, but Todd gets a free snack! Everybody wins! :D**


	4. Order

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution nor any of Marvel's characters.**

**Warning: Nothing bad here, actually. I know, big change, right?**

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><p><strong>Order<strong>

"Hey, Lance," Todd said from the backseat of the jeep. "Can we stop an' get somethin'? I'm starvin'."

"Alright," Lance agreed easily as he could feel his own stomach growling. "Where do ya guys wanna go?"

"Let's just go to Gut Bombers," Fred said.

"Eh, we _always_ go there," Pietro said, hand-waving the idea. "I'm sick of that place."

"Didn't that new restaurant open up a few months ago?" Wanda said from the back. "It's not far."

"Aw, _now_ we're talkin'!" Todd agreed with a nod. "Tabby said she went there last week and said it was fantastic!"

"You know where it is?" Pietro asked to which Lance gave a nod.

"Yeah, I've seen it," the rock-tumbler said as he turned the wheel down a side street.

Not a few minutes later, they'd pulled into a drive-thru, a few cars in front, but the line was moving relatively fast so they wouldn't have to wait long. Plus, it gave them time to order.

"Alright, what do you guys want?" Lance asked, fishing for his wallet.

"I'll take a five-piece nugget with fries, yo."

"A burger with everything and fries, please."

"Ten burgers."

Lance glanced back at the over-sized teen. "Aww, come on, Fred. Don't make me order that."

"But I need to eat!"

"I'll get you three."

"Seven."

"Five."

"Deal," Fred said with a sigh.

"Good," Lance settled on as their car moved up one. "'Tro, what do you want?"

"Twelve burgers."

"...you're kidding, right?"

"I don't kid."

"Yes, you do!"

"_Ex-squeeze_ me, but I have an exponentially high metabolism, rockhead. I _need_ to eat. Unlike Blob back there, if I don't eat enough, I could _die_!"

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic."

"I'm serious! I get really dizzy, then sick, and then I can't even lift my own head up! Now buy me my burgers!"

"I'm not buying you twelve!"

"Hey, if _he_ gets twelve, I should, too!"

"Nobody's getting twelve!"

"But I need twelve! You'd better order me twelve or _you_ are going to have to carry me to the hospital!"

Lance gave a scoff. "Yeah, right. And what are you gonna do if I don't? Re-style my hair while I'm sleeping? Ooh…so scary…"

Pietro's face flushed lightly at the stab against his obsession with his own hair and constant inspection of his physical looks. "Sh-shut up!"

The car in front moved up and they were up next.

"Just order my burgers already!"

"Yeah, and mine, too!"

"I'm not-"

"Oh, just order them already, Lance!" Wanda interrupted, her voice sounding desperate as she massaged the bridge of her nose. "I can't stand listening to this pointless argument anymore."

"You order it, then!" Lance shot back.

"Nu-uh, bro. Driver orders at the drive-thru," Todd finally spoke up. "That's the rule, yo."

"Toad, shut up—"

"Hello, may I take your order?"

Lance glanced over at the voice-box he was now in front of before saying, "Uhh, yeah, just one sec." He looked in the back. "What did you two want again?"

"Five-piece nugget wit' fries, dawg."

"Yeah, I want a five-piece nugget with fries—"

"Burger with everything and fries…"

"—and a burger with everything and another order of fries!"

"Anything else?"

"Tell her about the burgers!" Pietro whispered.

"I'm not—"

"Jus' order 'em already, Lance!" Toad groaned.

"But—"

"Anything else?" the voice pressed.

Lance sighed heavily before leaning his head out the window. "And twenty-four burgers."

There was silence on the other end. "…twenty-four?"

"Yes."

"Oooh! And a Frosty!" Pietro whispered.

"…and one Frosty…"

"…anything else?"

"No."

"…pay at the first window, please."

Lance quietly moved the car up to the first window. A tense silence fell over the car as Lance paid and soon moved up to the next window. The woman appeared after a moment.

"Excuse me, sir, but you're going to need to move up a little so we can get a few more orders through. Yours is going to take a bit longer."

Lance stared at her for a moment, unconsciously biting his lower lip before giving a simple nod and pulling up.

Silence passed for a few seconds before Todd opened his mouth to say something, but barely got a syllable out when Lance growled out through gritted teeth, "Don't. Say. _One._ Word."

Todd immediately shut his mouth and sunk down in his seat between Wanda and Fred.

About fifteen minutes later, an employee came out with three large bags that the group managed to grab and fit in the jeep. Ten minutes later, the whole group was home, all (with the exception of Lance) finally jabbering on about something.

Lance took a seat at the table, folding his arms on top of it. Next to him, Pietro was laying out his burgers on a plate, quietly humming to himself with a smile. Then, he stopped, blinked a few times before glancing over at Lance. "Hey, Lance, you do know you didn't order anything for yourself, right?"

"That's okay…I'm not really hungry." With that, Lance buried his head in his arms, contemplating his role in life.

Pietro stared at his friend for a moment before giving a shrug and taking his food into the living room. "Hey, anything good on?"

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><p><strong>AN: Luckily, I am the only child in my family, so I've never had to deal with people all ordering at once or making crazy, unreasonable orders, especially in the drive-thru...and I've never worked at a fast-food place, either, thank God. However, I have a strong feeling Lance tends to be the butt-monkey when it comes to having to order for a group full of mutants with strange eating habits. I really don't have much else to say except that I'm very sorry for tormenting my darling, walking Richter Scale and I hope I give him a nice chapter at some point...we'll see.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading! **


	5. Night

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution nor any of Marvel's characters.**

**Warning: Slight language and maybe a hint of OOC, but it's pretty plausible, I think.**

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><p><strong>Night<strong>

Pietro had a tendency to wake up in the middle of the night. With his hyperactive mutation, his body would spring to life and cause him to be wide awake after only a few hours of sleep. He would usually wake up around three in the morning and his body would force him to stay awake for the rest of the night into the morning…unless he ran around for at least twenty minutes.

As a kid, he'd begun to develop a small routine where after he would be roused from his sleep, he would take a quick run outside for the elapsed amount of time and then he'd go back to bed. It was sort of like his own way of telling is body it was really time to go to sleep now and his body would usually hold no real argument after those several minutes of exercise. However, once he'd joined the Brotherhood and, for the first time in a long time, he had people around his age living with him, he began to use those twenty minutes a little differently.

One night, as he did every night, he awoke without warning, his eyes shooting open. He sat up, rubbing at them a bit before giving a small yawn. He glanced up at the clock, saw it read 3:17, and got up without much hesitation. He dashed out of the room and instantly found himself peeking into the bedroom right across from his own.

Inside, Lance was propped up on his bed, his guitar still in his hands. He gave a loud snort before resuming his noisy snoring (mostly because of the upright position he was in), his brown bangs falling in front of his face.

Pietro came into the room and gently took the guitar from his hands and placed it on the nice stand the group had gotten him for his birthday last year, a small, but powerful amp seated next to it. He then went around to the end of the bed and pulled very gently at Lance's ankles, just so the rock-tumbler could carefully be eased down so that he was lying flat on the bed.

The speedster then rounded back around to the head of the bed and gingerly moved Lance's head onto the pillow. Then, he took the blankets that had been clumped at the end of the bed, rang them out, and draped them over Lance. The teen had finally stopped his loud snoring, now in a more comfortable position, and only produced the quietest of snorts.

Pietro sped out of the room and into the one next door to find Todd lying on his stomach, his blanket barely covering his legs. His room was very, _very_ messy (something Pietro always lectured him about, but, of course, his words always fell upon deaf ears) and the white-haired mutant wrinkled his nose at the sick smell before proceeding with his mission.

Luckily, Todd was rather light and very easy to turn over onto his back and it wasn't too difficult for Pietro to place the toad-like mutant's limbs in a way that they weren't twisted. Then, he took the blanket and threw it over Todd before making sure his arms and legs were tucked in.

He smiled at his work before speeding downstairs and, as suspected, Freddy was sitting on the couch, sleeping while the TV still played. Pietro carefully took the bag of chips the large teen had been munching on, placed them quickly into one of the cupboards in the kitchen, and lastly made sure the recliner was locked in place to keep Fred's feet up before shutting the TV off.

Once more, he zoomed out of the living room and headed back upstairs, stopping when he reached Wanda's room. This was the one he had to be very alert. Wanda, even when she was a little girl, had always been a light sleeper. A couple years before she was sent away, their father was forced to move Pietro in a separate room from hers because when he would get up in the middle of the night, she would always wake up as well.

He crept into the room, seeing Wanda lying in her bed, covered in a black blanket, her head lying on a red pillow; two items she'd found at a garage sale down the street and practically had a conniption when Pietro had only _hedged_ at the idea of possibly buying them for her.

Now, she lay sleeping, her face tense, her eyes shut tight, and her lip curled back into a sneer. Every night, Pietro would find himself wishing he knew what she could be dreaming about that would force her to make that painful face.

Did it involve their father?

Perhaps their mother?

...him?

He lightly placed a hand on her shoulder. She seemed to never notice, probably because although it felt like half a minute to him, it was really only half a second.

He smiled softly.

Wanda never needed him to fix her up. When she retired to her bedroom at the end of a long day, she didn't just fall asleep in the middle of doing something, she didn't just flop haphazardly down, and she _always_ went to sleep in her own bed.

She was so independent...acted so brave all the time...especially before her memories were taken away.

...he loved his sister. He'd rarely admit it out loud, but he really did. Ever since the day her father had locked her up in that asylum, he'd missed his twin. For the first several years of their lives, she was like his other half.

After a while, he'd started trying to move on. He couldn't get her out; his father had made it perfectly clear if he tried anything, they'd _both_ be in trouble. Besides, Pietro wasn't the kind of person to sit around and pine for someone, even if it was someone he cared about.

He'd had his own problems to worry about anyways. Trying to fit in at school, get used to living with a foster family, wondering why his father didn't want him, wanting to be comfortable in his own skin...

When Mystique brought Wanda to the house, he'd been terrified beyond all belief, not to mention majorly pissed off at the shape-shifter. He knew Wanda would hate him for what happened that night, and she did, but...she'd finally begun to learn control. He'd never been more proud of his sister than when she took down the X-Men during her first fight with them at the mall.

As he stared at her presently, he realized he was reflecting on his past decisions concerning her. He'd lied to her, manipulated her...even betrayed her, along with his own team; a team that was now his responsibility.

These were mistakes. He'd owned up to them a short while ago.

The team had forgiven him and even Wanda seemed to not hate him so much anymore, especially once he'd told her the truth about their father.

_"...I need to be a better brother,"_ he thought to himself as he reflected. _"Yep, I need to be better. That's it. That's what I'm gonna do."_

With that firm decision, he sped out and into his own room, already feeling sleepy again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So...Pietro's a totally creeper, right? xD No, but seriously, I really love what a douchebag Pietro is, but I also love the idea that deep down, he _really_ does love the Brotherhood and, at least in my head, I can see him doing this every night since he's up anyways and might as well make sure everyone is comfy. Isn't that adorable? x3 Plus, I needed a little Wanda and Pietro happiness. I wish we'd gotten to see more of their relationship develop on X-Men Evo.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this one!**


	6. Mission

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution nor any of Marvel's characters.**

**Warning: Some mild violence, language, and hints of possible death. (Don't worry, guys, the boys are okay xD)**

* * *

><p><strong>Mission<strong>

His heart was pounding as he leapt down the hallway, jumping from wall to wall.

Twenty minutes.

He landed hard on his feet, coming face to face with a door. Reaching into his pocket, he said into his earpiece, "I'm kickin' it open. Stand by." He pulled out the small device, attached it to the door, and pressed the button in the center before leaping far enough away.

The device beeped rapidly before exploding and leaving the door with a sizable hole in it.

"It's open. I'm headin' in." He hopped through the hole, heading down the next hallway, leaping as fast as he could.

Eighteen minutes.

"Hey, you!"

"Shit..." he hissed, but kept jumping forward, despite the fact that there were now four soldiers in his way, having appeared from the intersection in the hallway.

"Stop or we'll shoot!" the main guard ordered as they simultaneously held up their guns.

He didn't stop.

The shots were fired, but he had plenty of time to judge exactly where the guns had been aimed and dodge them with all the ease of an acrobat. He bounded from wall to wall before slamming his feet into the main guard's chest, knocking the man back by at least twenty feet. He then propelled himself upward as shots continued to fire before sticking his legs out in midair, making contact with two of the guards' faces and causing them to fall back.

Their opponent landed on the ground, the last guard and him making brief eye contact before the soldier charged at him, trying to throw a punch. However, the punch was deflected by a powerful leg and an arm shot out to pull the guard up against him before knocking his head against the soldier's and shoving the stunned man against the wall, leaving him firmly knocked out once the back of his head had smashed into the metal.

Suddenly, he heard a crackle in his earpiece and a familiar voice asked, "Toad, did you find the lady yet?"

He pressed a finger against the earpiece. "Not yet, Pietro. Ran intah a detour, but I took care of it." He turned back around and resumed his mission down the hallway. "Almost there. I'll let ya know if I need back-up."

"Alright, just hurry it up!"

"We all can't go as fast as you, dawg."

"Funny."

Sixteen minutes.

Todd moved his feet into a slide to stop himself as he made it to the room he needed. He pulled out the copied retina scan Lance had given him about an hour earlier and activated it, allowing him inside.

A woman laid on a small cot in a gray, rather dreary looking room. She sat up at Todd's appearance, wincing a bit as she placed a hand over her protruding belly, her maternal fear for her unborn child kicking in.

"Wh-who are you?" she asked, her green eyes wide with fear as the intruder came closer.

Toad reached into his pocket and showed her his ID badge. "Name's Todd, ma'am. I'm a SHIELD agent."

The woman looked from the badge to him and studied his face for a moment, trying to search for even a pinch of dishonesty before she breathed out in relief, "Oh, thank _God_..."

Todd smirked as he held his hands out to her. "Don' worry, ma'am. I'm gonna getcha outta here."

She took his hands without much hesitation before blinking in shock at his slimy, webbed hands and gasping in shock. "Y-you're a...a..."

"Yeah, I'm a mutant," he agreed easily, used to this reaction by now. "I'm also a mutant that's gonna save yer life an' that little kid in there."

The woman cast a quick glance at her stomach, seemed to dwell on the statement for a few seconds, before looking back up at Todd and giving him a determined nod as she tightened her grip on his hands. He smiled and pulled her up, trying to keep her steady.

"'Kay, we're runnin' a _little_ short on time, so we really gotta book it. Can ya walk a little fast?"

"I can try, I suppose."

Thirteen minutes.

The two had made their way down the hallway as fast as they could go with the woman's condition since she was at high risk of losing her baby if she fell from even one wrong step.

"We're gettin' there, ma'am. Jus' keep goin'." Todd continued to encourage her as they moved, staying right by her side.

"I know, I know...and please, my name is Jasmine."

"Got it," Todd said before the security alarm went off and he gave a groan. "Goddammit. That wasn't supposed tah be for anotha two minutes."

Ten minutes.

They finally made it to the end of the hall, but found themselves face to face with a ladder at the very end of a bridge. The bridge was located in the boiler room, which the two had found themselves directly in the center of, and beneath them was darkness, but a powerful heat continuously surging upwards in little spurts.

"Oh, no..." the pregnant woman moaned, looking very nervous.

"You okay, lady?" Todd asked.

"I'm...I'm scared of heights...o-oh, dear..."

"Hey. Hey, Jazzy-can I call ya Jazzy?"

"I'd rather you didn't-"

Okay, Jazzy, I want ya tah take this nice an' easy, a'ight? I'm right here an' I won't let ya fall, but ya gotta move. Ya ready?"

"Not really and I said, please don't-"

"Okay, let's go!"

Seven minutes.

"A'ight, Jazzy, try an' go slow. I'm right behind ya, okay?"

"O-okay," the woman said shakily.

They'd finally made it to the ladder and were now heading down, Todd having gone first and was now beneath her in case she fell back.

"Jus' don' look down an' listen tah mah voice."

Jasmine had started moving, but suddenly halted and made a whimpering sound. "Todd…I'm scared. I-I can't move!"

"But ya _gotta_ move!" Todd floundered for a moment before asking, "Hey, Jazzy, what ya gonna name yer kid?"

"Huh?" the woman squeaked out, not expecting the random question.

"Yer baby. Ya havin' a boy or a girl?"

"…a boy. I-I…I don't know what to name him."

"Any ideas?"

"W-well…I was thinking of Jacob, maybe."

"That's a nice name…what else?"

"…Dante," Jasmine said as she began to move again, the two finally back in business.

"I like it. It gots character."

The woman gave a small, shaky laugh. "Thank you. It was my great-grandfather's name."

Almost out.

Four minutes.

The two made it to the bottom and made their way out through a back way Todd had been told to go through.

"STOP!"

Todd and Jasmine froze at the sight of men waiting outside, all holding their guns out in front of them in a threatening manner.

"Put your hands in the air!" the main soldier in the front ordered.

"An' wave 'em like we jus' don' care?" Todd shot back, trying to sound braver than he actually felt.

The soldier frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Amusing. Now obey our orders or prepare to be taken down by force."

Todd kept a protective arm around Jasmine's shoulders, unsure about his next step. The clock was ticking and they needed to get out _now_.

Then, he said, "Okay, but I could really use a little assistance."

The soldiers looked very confused by this statement, but not for long as the ground began to rumble beneath them and split, causing many of the men to fall through. Those that didn't fall, however, still struggled to stay on their feet, while Todd pulled Jasmine back into the building.

"Why aren't we making a run for it?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Jus' wait. We don' know if they're gonna start shootin' at us or not. Besides, you can't run no more." The ground gave a huge heave outside and Todd grinned a bit. "Don' worry. The cavalry has arrived."

Through the crack of the door, Todd and Jasmine watched as the ground continued to shift almost like water beneath the men, keeping them wobbly and unable to stay focused. They soon found their guns gone from them one by one, like they had disappeared in a quick flash.

Then, a young man with white hair appeared in front of the door, causing Jasmine to gasp in sudden shock.

"You ready yet?" the newcomer asked.

"Yeah," Todd answered. "We gotta car?"

"Yep, it's cloaked, but it's super close."

"Jus' let Avalanche clear us a path an' we'll get there."

"I'll tell him."

Then, as quickly as he had appeared, the man was gone with only the slightest rush of wind indicating he'd been there. Not a moment after, Todd threw open the door, gabbed Jasmine's hand and said, "Let's move!"

Jasmine tried her best to keep up with him as they ran down a solid pathway that didn't seem at all affected by the earth tremors. At first, Jasmine thought they were just running aimlessly outside until a large, black vehicle suddenly came into view, its windows shining against the sun. Todd opened the door and helped her in, getting her nice and secure before turning back to where they'd come from and yelling at the top of his lungs, "Hey, dorks! Let's go!"

The white-haired young man appeared again, gripping onto the shoulders of another guy around his age, with dark skin and eyes to match. "Yeah, we're here already, just get this thing moving!"

The three guys got into the car as the driver started it up and they were soon wheeling away. Jasmine finally felt her adrenaline rush catching up with her and her body became weak. She slumped back in her seat, looking fatigued, when she felt a slimy hand on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see Todd looking down at her with concern.

"Ya doin' a'ight, Jazzy? Yer kid okay?"

"…yes…I think so…is…is it over? Are we safe?"

"Almost," the young man with the darker complexion stated, looking out the back window.

Suddenly, there was an enormous explosion that Jasmine could feel through her own body for a few seconds. She craned her neck up and over to see a blackish smoke cloud billowing up to the sky, high above the ruins of the institute where she'd been kept for months on end.

"_Now_ it's over," the three mutants said simultaneously before breaking off into childish snickers.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've had this idea for a long time and I'm so happy to finally post it! I love the idea of the Brotherhood joining SHIELD a little later and becoming actual heroes, rather than just a bunch of delinquents. I might have mentioned this before, but I feel Todd would most benefit from SHIELD's combat training as he could figure out how to use his agility and powerful legs to his advantage.**

**This is basically a typical search and rescue mission with Toad (because he's my favorite!) as the forerunner and Lance and Pietro there to back him up while he helps this poor woman. I decided not to say why the woman was pregnant nor why she was in that strange place in the first place. I did this to give it that crazy opening of an episode where you have _no freakin' clue_ what's going on and everything is happening so fast you can't even blink or you'll miss it.**

**I like the idea of Todd (as well as the other Brotherhood boys) still being goofy as an adult, but being much more knowledgeable and skilled that he could afford to be silly at certain times. Oh, and why didn't Pietro just rush in and rescue her? I DON'T KNOW! I just wanted to do a story with Todd, but Pietro is such an attention whore, he keeps making me put him in every chapter! Urgh...he won't leave me alone.**

**Anyways, hope you guys liked this! This is a future set up so the boys might be a tad bit out of character but this is at least a couple years after Apocalypse, so they obviously grew up a little more. Let me know if you guys are interested in me doing more of these future chapters. I have a few ideas in mind already. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Court

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution nor any of Marvel's characters.**

**Warning: Mild language.**

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><p><strong>Court<strong>

"He glides past the two wing players—dodges the guard's hand—he's still not breaking stride—he jumps—he shoots—and he scores!"

The basketball fell into the hoop and through the net and immediately into Pietro's hands before the teen did his small victory dance, still monologuing to himself.

"The crowd is going insane—the visiting team is crying their eyes out from the sick taste of failure—the home team picks number twenty-three up and carries him down the court, all cheering his name!"

"Whatcha doin'?"

Pietro immediately froze and turned around to see Todd standing outside the run-down court, his fingers lazily twisted in the fences' grates. The speedster cleared his throat and stiffened up, placing the basketball behind him.

"Nothing," he tried to say casually, but there was a slight squeak to his voice.

If Pietro hadn't been so embarrassed at someone noticing him, he would have realized sooner that he'd been fantasizing so vividly that no one would have actually been able to see what he was doing. All Todd had seen was literally just a white blur jumping all around the court, but still, it didn't take a genius to connect the dots as to what the teen was actually doing.

Presently, Todd merely gave a shrug as he let go off the fence and wandered around to the entrance and into the court. "Do ya miss playin' wit' a team, dawg?"

Pietro brought the ball back around, spinning it on his index and middle finger. "Sometimes. Then again, I never liked having to share a victory. Especially with those jerk teammates I had at my old school."

"Like Daniels?" Todd said, watching him continue to spin the ball with a mild fascination.

A scoff. "Yeah. Especially him."

Todd simply gave a 'hmm' sound as he continued to watch him. After a moment, he asked, "Can ya teach me?"

Pietro raised an eyebrow. "Basketball? You don't know how it works?"

"Oh, sure, I know the game, but I've nevah really played it mahself befo'. Didn't have no friends or sibs tah play wit'."

"Shame," Pietro commented as he began to dribble the ball. "You'd probably be very good at it."

"So, can ya teach me, then?" Todd asked, his voice hopeful.

Pietro gave a scoff. "Yeah, right. And have you show me up on the court? I don't think so."

"Aww, come on, yo. I really wanna learn!"

"Don't care," Pietro said with an air to his voice as he moved all around the court with the ball, making sure to keep it out of Todd's reach.

"_Please_?" Todd begged. "Come on, don' be such a ball hog!"

"Oh, I'm too fast for the little toad?" Pietro teased as he zoomed in circles around Todd before getting ready to shoot a basket.

"Hey!"

"Pietro, are you being mean to the little guy again?"

The two mutants turned around to see their fellow teammates standing in the archway.

"Yeah, he's bein' a jerk an' won't teach me how tah play!" Todd immediately said as he hopped over to Freddy.

"Well, he's being annoying!" Pietro accused. "I came here to be alone."

Lance rolled his eyes. "You seriously can't take an hour out of your time to teach him?"

"An _hour_?! Ugh, that'll take _forever_!"

The rock-tumbler shook his head as he came closer. "It's really not that big of a deal."

"Good. Then, I don't have to teach him."

"No, I meant—ugh, nevermind," Lance settled on and while Pietro was distracted, he knocked the ball out of his hands and grabbed it in mid-air, earning him an indignant yell of "Hey!" from the speedster.

"Come on, Toad. I'll teach you how to play." Lance jerked his head over to the closest basket and started dribbling the ball idly.

"Really?" Todd asked, leaping over to him.

"Pfft. _You_ know how to play?" Pietro asked skeptically.

"Sure," Lance answered as he led Todd over to the basket. "I had a childhood, too, y'know. Besides, when you have a different foster family every year, you meet a lot of different people with all kinds of skills." He gave a casual shrug. "You learn a few things."

While Pietro mimicked Lance's words, the rock-tumbler began to show Todd how to dribble.

"It's real easy. You just sort of pat the ball into the ground."

"Oh, my God. I was right, you _don't_ know how to teach."

Lance straightened up and looked back at his friend with a relatively calm expression. "Problem?"

"You don't 'pat' it into the ground. You need to have some kind of control."

"So, it should be beat into the ground?" Fred asked, coming up behind Pietro.

"No, no, no," the speedster said, waving his arms in front of him. "You need control over the ball, but you can't be too stiff or too rough."

"Like this?" Lance asked as he dribbled the ball for a few seconds only to have it gone in a quick rush of wind.

"Nope," Pietro answered, now standing on the other side of the court, the ball spinning on his index finger. "Told you. I knew you didn't know what you were doing."

"Oh, come on, 'Tro. You're not as much of an expert as you think you are." Lance folded his arms. "I mean, just because you're fast doesn't mean you're _good_."

Pietro furrowed his brow, frowning slightly as he allowed the ball to fall back into his hands. "I think you're just jealous that I played on an actual team."

"Yeah, one dat ya hated."

"Shut up, Toad," Pietro growled.

"Give it up, Pietro. You know I'm right, but you're just too stubborn to let anybody show that they're better than you," Lance said.

"_So_ not," the speedster denied as he zoomed over until he was standing in-between Lance and Todd. "Here," he said, handing the ball to Todd. "I'll show you the _right_ way to dribble."

Todd's eyes lit up as Pietro began to instruct him, while Lance joined Fred over near the tall fence, After a minute, Fred leaned over slightly and said quietly, "Y'know, I'm kinda shocked he fell for that."

Lance grinned as he propped himself up against the fence. "He thinks he's so smart," he whispered back. "He's so cocky all the time, he doesn't realize how easily we can manipulate him, the douche."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: One of my favorite sports is basketball and I always wished we would have called back to when Pietro played it in his intro episode. I feel he probably would still love it and fantasize about everyone cheering him on since he's such an attention whore. Plus, I thought it would be cute if he showed Todd how to play, but as usual, Pietro has to do things the hard way.**

**I feel Pietro, because of his cocky, confident nature, would be _very_ easy to manipulate. He thinks he's so smart, but with such an attitude, we can see how he has probably been manipulated by Magneto multiple times to do his bidding. I figure the rest of the Brotherhood would eventually figure this out and use it against him whenever they saw fit, but mostly for small things like this, nothing too major.**

**Anyways, hope you all liked it and thanks for reading!**


	8. Elevator: Infiltration Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution nor any of Marvel's characters. Also, I don't own Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier.**

**Warning: Mild language and mild violence.**

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><p><strong>Elevator: Infiltration Part 1<br>**

Todd slashed his keycard through the door and the light blinked green. The doors swished open and he began to head down the hall, noticing it was a bit deserted, but judging by the time of day, everyone was probably either in meetings or filing through paperwork.

_"__Ugh, paperwork," _Todd thought with a grimace. He had over sixty-five mission files to go through by Tuesday and he was _not_ looking forward to it.

Being a SHIELD agent was a fun, exciting way for Todd to live, especially with all the training and knowledge it had given him. Rescuing people, defusing bombs, taking out guards, etc. It felt like one of those cool jobs you see in the movies.

Unfortunately, every great job had its cons and for Todd, it was definitely that stupid filing. He should have done most of it last month, but honestly hadn't cared enough at the time and stupidly assumed that because his skillful standing was so high, he probably would either get extra time to finish it or might even get somebody else to do it.

It took a potential death threat from not only his superior, but an online call from Nick Fury himself to make sure he got on it, no ifs, ands, or buts.

_"__That's a visit from Fury I don' wanna have happen,"_ Todd thought with a shake of his head as he made it to the elevator, pressing the button.

After several seconds, the doors opened and inside, the elevator was empty. Todd waltzed in and pressed the button for the 62nd floor where all the reports for his sector were stored. The doors shut softly and the elevator began its ascension.

It was one of those elevators that had a large window on the back, stretching from top to bottom. Todd glanced outside idly, noticing the main parking lot before turning back to the doors and giving a yawn.

His thoughts traveled over to later, after his paperwork would be done. Maybe he'd call the gang and get them all to go out for pizza or something. It felt like forever since they'd all seen each other.

Technically, it had only been about four days, but with friends, that was like months!

Lance and Wanda had been stuck in France since Thursday for an operation to take down some sort of illegal operation and had only just gotten back home this morning, Fred had been up to his ears in his own paperwork (poor guy never was good with numbers; more of a history buff), and Pietro had decided to use two of his vacation days to chill in the Caribbean without them, that jerk.

Now, everyone was back home and it might be nice to hang out. It had been several months since they'd all been on a mission together and Todd had missed working with his team.

The doors opened, startling Todd out of his thoughts, to allow a few field men in. These were the hardcore guys who trained to, if not detain, eliminate people. Todd had an honest respect for these guys, but wasn't really afraid of them. They weren't bloodthirsty or psycho or anything; just doing their job. Besides, they never killed unless there was absolutely no other choice.

Todd greeted the men with a friendly smile and a nod to which they all returned as they piled in. The floor read 16th and the doors shut once more.

As the elevator resumed its climb, Todd glanced down at his feet, bored and still not looking forward to his work.

_"__Hmm…maybe I could slice my hand open wit' a letter opener an'—no, no, Toad. That's goin' too far."_

With a soft beep, the elevator stopped again, this time on the 30th floor and a few more men walked in, all dressed in fancy suits and ties along with their own briefcases. Todd greeted them silently as he did to the field men before they also piled in.

The doors shut once more and the elevator continued. Curiously, Todd glanced subtly around the now crowded elevator, looking to see if he knew anybody.

He recognized no one, but he saw how a couple of the field men had their hands over their guns which were hanging off their sides.

Todd narrowed his eyes slightly and furrowed his brow.

That was unusual. Normally, the field men didn't have their guns with them unless they were heading to the arena, but that was the floor they'd come from. Why didn't they hang them up? If they were going for a mission, guns would be provided on the ship or whatever they were using to take them there.

The mutant glanced over to one of the businessmen, watching as he spoke with his partner in a hushed voice.

Todd noticed a slight trickle of sweat pour down the man's face.

The doors opened again, almost causing Todd to jump in shock and a few more agents walked in, looking like they'd been training, if the sweat on their bodies said anything. They greeted the residents of the elevator with polite nods and smiles, but this time Todd didn't smile.

Something was wrong.

The elevator, now crowded with ten people counting himself, felt no longer like a regular, old elevator.

This was a trap.

Todd didn't know why someone was setting a trap up for him, but he knew the 'why' shouldn't be his main focus.

The doors shut and the elevator continued to move upwards from the 46th floor.

Todd gave a final glance around the room and made his decision once everyone was quiet.

"So…" he said, a little loudly. "Befo' we get started here…does anybody wanna get out while they still can?"

There was about a five second pause before one of the agents directly in front of Todd pulled out an electro-rod, a new weapon that was similar to a tazer, except far more powerful. The agent tried to stab him, but Todd pushed himself backwards on instinct, only to be grabbed by two men on either side of him and pulled back until he hit the opposite side of the elevator, landing against it with a loud slam.

The men all seemed ready to pile on him at once, the two on each side of his body trying to keep him pressed against the wall, but when two other agents tried to reach for his legs, Todd stuck them both out, as if attempting to do a split, whamming them into the men's faces. As the agents flew backwards from the pain, Todd hooked his left leg around one of the men's legs that was holding him and tugged, causing the man to momentarily lose his footing along with his grip on Todd's arm.

The man with the electro-rod tried to charge at Todd, ready to stick it who-knows-where, but Todd slammed the man on his left into the agent, causing the two to be electrocuted themselves. Now with nobody on his left, Todd slammed against the man on the right, taking the back of the agent's head in his free hand and knocked him hard into the corner of the elevator.

Still, more men came, one of them grabbing Todd's back, but with his now free right hand, Todd jerked his elbow back, right smack-dab into the man's face, knocking him out. Quickly assessing the man he'd pushed into the corner (after a couple more slams) was unconscious, he turned around, only to be met by another electro-rod by a different agent who was aiming right for his heart.

_"__Son of a bitch,"_ passed through Todd's mind just as he kicked his leg up and managed to hit his foot against the man's wrist, effectively knocking the weapon out of his hand. The electro-rod hit one of the other men, shocking him all the way down to the ground, but Todd was busy with the man in front of him, who tried to throw a punch, only to be dodged by Todd before grabbing onto the agent's wrist, holding him in his grasp for a few seconds before kicking him in the chest, causing him to fly back hard into two of the other men.

Finally, the last man, a field officer, remained, gripping tightly onto his own electro-rod before holding his free hand out, yelling, "Wait, wait!"

Todd halted, but stood his ground as the man breathed out, "I just…just want you to know, Tolanski…this isn't personal!"

Then, the man lunged at him with the weapon, trying to aim right for his hip, but Todd latched out both hands to grab his wrist before making contact and throwing him against the wall, knocking him out successfully.

Breathing hard, Todd said when he saw the man was out cold, "Well, it kinda feels personal, dawg."

He moved over to the elevator and pressed the button to open up the doors, now at the 62nd floor (he supposed one of the agents must have stopped the elevator during their tussle so Todd couldn't make a break for it), only to see about six officers, all lined with padding and guns waiting for him.

"Come out with your—"

The officer's order was cut short due to Todd moving to the left and used his leg to smash the cable of the elevator with all his might, causing the elevator to start plummeting. He fell to the ground as the doors shut from the power and the elevator dropped through multiple levels.

Suddenly, it halted, thanks to the back-up cables, and Todd shakily got up. He moved to try and open the doors, but pressed his ear against them.

Running footsteps coming from the other side.

_"__Well, I'm not openin' those,"_ he thought as he moved back and looked out the window.

It looked like a pretty long drop…but what choice did he have?

"Agent Tolanski!" he heard from outside the door. "You have nowhere to run! Come out with your hands— "

Todd didn't hear the last part of what the man outside the elevator said as he turned around, took a deep breath, and had a very short running start to jump out the window. He braced himself against the glass, shut his eyes tight, and felt his body collide with the glass. After a second, he opened his eyes and saw where he was heading before propelling his body so his feet were pointing downwards. The only chance he had of not permanently damaging his body was if his powerful legs protected him.

CRACK!

Todd let out a shrill shriek of pain as he landed, his right leg feeling like it was on fire. He now laid on his stomach in the middle of small outdoor study area, many agents looking at him in shock.

The toad-like mutant glanced around, unsure after what he'd just experienced whether or not to ask someone for help.

_"__Trust no one,"_ a little voice whispered to him through his agony and he agreed with it.

Without another moment of hesitation, he pushed himself up, groaning the entire time before limping like a wounded animal in the wild until he found a nearby wall and leaned against it. Abruptly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw a redheaded woman looking at him with concern.

"Sir?" she asked, her voice gentle, her blue eyes wide. "A-Are you alright? Where did you—do you need to go to a hospital?"

For a moment, Todd wanted to fall against her and beg for her to call an ambulance, but still feeling shaky from the earlier attack (luckily still pumping with adrenaline so he could find the strength to keep moving), he shook his head, gritting his teeth together.

"N-No…I'm fine. Jus'…" Todd found himself at a loss before he looked past her and exclaimed, "What the hell is that?!"

The woman, on instinct, looked behind her, only to find nothing there. Taking his chance, Todd shifted all his weight onto his left leg, the one that was still working, and prepared himself for his jump all the way down the alleyway.

He landed as best he could on his left leg, letting out another hard groan from the pain, forcing himself down for a moment. He heard through the blood pounding in his ears the woman yelling, "Sir?!"

Ignoring her cry, he pushed himself to hop again until he couldn't take the pain anymore and collapsed onto the ground. He reached up a shaky hand to his earpiece and clicked it.

"C-Calling…anyone…" he croaked out, feeling his vision becoming hazy.

The phone rang a few times before a familiar speedster's voice greeted, "Toad, what is it?"

"I-I need…help…there was…this ambush…mah leg…" Toad knew he probably made no sense, but was delighted to hear Pietro's reply of, "I'll be right there. Don't move a muscle."

In less than twenty seconds, Todd felt a rush of wind and hands were soon placing themselves on his back.

"Is it broken?" Pietro asked, his voice sounding almost distant.

"I…don' know…"

"Can you stand?"

"I…"

Then, everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: And so, life at SHIELD for the Brotherhood continues! YAY!**

**I was having a chitchat with a reviewer of mine on , Obiwanlivesforever, and I had this idea in my head and they basically read my mind, so I decided to follow through and do it.**

**This scene is basically a rip-off of Captain America 2, as you probably saw n the disclaimer. I was trying to look up cool scenes of Marvel movies one day and I bumped into my favorite scene; the elevator attack. As I re-watched it, my mind began to drift over to my fav boys as agents, so then I pictured little Toad as Cap instead. I figured only he could really fit well in this scene with such close hand-to-hand combat. I mean, 'Tro could probably have taken them out easily (or gotten claustrophobic, who knows?), Lance is up high so I'm not sure how well his powers would have worked, Wanda would have made the whole thing plummet, and Fred...well, that would be a pretty stupid idea for a trap concerning him.**

**For those of you that are familiar with CA2, this is the movie where HYDRA starts to invade SHIELD, so that's basically wants happening to Todd here. This will have another part and possibly a third, depending on how much I want to say. I thought about making it its own thing, but what I have in mind is short and especially for the second part, more reflective, so that's why it's here. Plus, the chapters are going to be about this length, so that very long.**

**As I mentioned before, I LOVE the Brotherhood spending their adult time with SHIELD, since the gang doesn't really own the name 'Brotherhood of Evil Mutants'. Why? Because they're not evil necessarily. Delinquents with a low sense of morality. Maybe so. But they don't seem to be trying to take over the world or find ways to outright murder people. They sort of go whichever way the wind blows. Remember, when Mystique and Magneto were gone in Season 2, they basically just chilled out and acted like relatively normal teens. I think the biggest difference between them and the X-Men is that the Brotherhood is fiercely proud of their powers and who they are, so they don't like to hide it. That's why after mutants are revealed, they basically show off like there's no tomorrow.**

**Okay, I think I've rambled enough about my little mutant darlings, so I'll thank you all for reading this and leave a review if you like! :D**


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